I used to live in Coon Rapids, which is then neighboring town to Anoka. Though this is not the first time I have heard mention that the name could be construed as racist, the guy who's making the stink, is of course, white. And likely not from around here, though the article doesn't specify.

(WCCO) Coon Rapids, Minn. For those who grew up in Coon Rapids, Minn., the name is part of the growing river community's history and identity. But councilman Joe Soditi feels it's time for a change.

"My proposal is to change the name of the city of Coon Rapids to something more like 'Riverview,'" Soditi explained.

Soditi said he worries about the negative connotations the city's name conjures to outsiders.

"A one-horse town," Soditi explained.

Tamia Zeria, a Coon Rapids resident who grew up in St. Louis, Mo., said his friends and family think he lives "in the boondocks," he explained. "They think I live all the way out in the country."

"Now that I think about it, it does sound kind of hick," one woman said.

To some residents, the fact that others may think the name refers to a racial slur is disturbing.

"I was just a tad bit disappointed just by the name itself and what it represents," one woman said.

"At sporting events, people ask me about it and I get kind of ashamed of the name most of the time," one man said.

One teen said the name reminded him of "raccoons and a river," which is more or less how the name came about.

When the Coon Rapids Dam was being built, there was a nearby creek called Coon Creek that flowed into the Mississippi River.

Raccoons were often found in the rapids of that creek, so settlers named the area Coon Creek Rapids. "Creek" was later dropped from the name.

As of Wednesday afternoon, city officials said most residents they had heard from were in favor of keeping the name.

There will be a work session scheduled in the next couple of weeks, where city council members can discuss whether or not to put a possible name change on a referendum for voters to decide.

To change the name would be racist, because it would imply that the name of the city was supposed to mean the racial slur, when it does not. At one time, there was a raccoon painted on the water tower, but after repainting a few years ago, the city opted for a more modern look (below-except the 'minnesota' part is not on the tower itself).

If outsiders think the name is a slur, they have bigger personal & mental issues to deal with. Do they honestly think the name would stick with a city anywhere, if the origin was questionable? Especially here. If that is what they think, then let them stay away.

I havent heard a black person been called a coon EVER in my lifetime. I dont think people have called blacks coons since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The fact that this is coming from a white guy just shows that the PCness is oozing through. How many blacks actually live in Coon Rapids? Probably not many. So, as Cartman would say, "whats the big fucking deal, Bitch?"

I havent heard a black person been called a coon EVER in my lifetime. I dont think people have called blacks coons since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The fact that this is coming from a white guy just shows that the PCness is oozing through. How many blacks actually live in Coon Rapids? Probably not many. So, as Cartman would say, "whats the big fucking deal, Bitch?"

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I've heard people call blacks "coons," but I live in the south, where racism is still alive in the more rural areas. I even heard a guy object to blacks in Nascar by saying, "It's Nascar, not Nascoon." This is in Minnesota, though, and I doubt it's as much of an issue.

I've heard people call blacks "coons," but I live in the south, where racism is still alive in the more rural areas. I even heard a guy object to blacks in Nascar by saying, "It's Nascar, not Nascoon." This is in Minnesota, though, and I doubt it's as much of an issue.

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Touche. Im from Yankee land so i rarely here them called coons. I hear ****** alot and jiggaboo sometimes. Thats about the extent of it for racial slurs. People need to grow some thicker skin. I dont get upset when someone calls me cracker or honkey. I usually laugh at them when they do, lol.

Touche. Im from Yankee land so i rarely here them called coons. I hear ****** alot and jiggaboo sometimes. Thats about the extent of it for racial slurs. People need to grow some thicker skin. I dont get upset when someone calls me cracker or honkey. I usually laugh at them when they do, lol.

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Jiggaboo? That's a new one on me, and I bet I know more racial slurs than Byrd.

I havent heard a black person been called a coon EVER in my lifetime. I dont think people have called blacks coons since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The fact that this is coming from a white guy just shows that the PCness is oozing through. How many blacks actually live in Coon Rapids? Probably not many. So, as Cartman would say, "whats the big fucking deal, Bitch?"

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not many at the moment, but it is growing. Unfortunately, many of the ones moving up here are not the kind you really want...meaning the lazy, welfare-reliant troublemakers. It troubles me to see the ones up here wearing the gangster-style baggy clothes. Some of the local kids dress like that, but not too many.
I know you aren't supposed to judge people on their appearance. But if you are dressed like a gangster, I will assume you are one. I like to walk down Main Street and not be afraid of who's behind me, thankyouverymuch.

not many at the moment, but it is growing. Unfortunately, many of the ones moving up here are not the kind you really want...meaning the lazy, welfare-reliant troublemakers. It troubles me to see the ones up here wearing the gangster-style baggy clothes. Some of the local kids dress like that, but not too many.
I know you aren't supposed to judge people on their appearance. But if you are dressed like a gangster, I will assume you are one. I like to walk down Main Street and not be afraid of who's behind me, thankyouverymuch.

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Those ones are all pussies. Pop em in the nose if they try to start anything. Watch how quiet they get.

I'm glad people are actually wasting their time fighting over a name like that...Being politically correct has just gone too far (even to the point where we can't protect our safety by profiling people who happen to fit the right description of a terrorist).

I'm glad people are actually wasting their time fighting over a name like that...Being politically correct has just gone too far (even to the point where we can't protect our safety by profiling people who happen to fit the right description of a terrorist).

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"When faced with statistics like that (the percentage of terrorists that are young, Arab males), it's not profiling, it's a suspect's description."

-Ann Coulter (Yeah, I know you probably think she's a nut, but she's a smart nut.)

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